Sunday, February 26, 2012

Viewing HD Channels with Comcast Limited Basic Channels

Lately, you might have received a letter from Comcast saying that they are upgrading their network; and that you need to have the right digital equipment for your TVs. This digital equipment is call DTA or Digital Transport Adapter.

I was reluctant to get one at first because I was still being able to view the HD Channels on the HDTV without one. Then, one day, around February 2012, some of the HD Channels started to disappear. So, that was when I decided to order a DTA from Comcast.

Installation and activation did not take that long. The instructions that came with the box are easy to follow. The problem after activation was that, well, all of the HD channels were gone.

After reading the forums on Comcast, I could not really find the conclusive answers. Some people said that the Digital DTA should come out soon (which I hope they do). Some said, to use and A-B Switch. The latter seems interesting to investigate. So, I chatted online with Comcast rep asking how to view the HD channels on my HDTV with limited basic channels plan. The answer is to get an A-B switch from my local Comcast. The online Comcast rep was very helpful and nice. She provided me with what the A-B Switch kit should look like and the instructions to connect it to the DTA and the HDTV.

A-B Switch Kit:
1. One A-B Switch
2. One Splitter
3. Three Coax cables
4. (Instructions -- you can look up one on the Internet if your local Comcast did not give you one)

Assuming that you are following the instructions on how to connect the A-B Switch to the DTA and then to your HDTV I linked above, all that is left is to switch the A-B switch to "B". Then, start using your HDTV remote (not Comcast Remote) to scan for the Digital Channels. Mine showed about 20 of them. The HD Channels would be something like 2-1; 5-1; 7-1; etc.

If you want to watch other Analog channels, then switch the A-B Switch to "A". Then, use Comcast Remote to change the channels.

Enjoy!